A wave of optimism swept across Africa in 1960 as many years of liberation struggle began to bear fruits. 17 African nations; one country after another, the independence flag was being raised as European colonists packed and left, bringing an end to decades of foreign rule. That remarkable year became known as “The Year of Africa”.
60 years of African independence have seen enormous growth in the continent’s population and its economies, with numbers surging from just about 300 million people in 1960 to over 1.2 billion today. Economic growth has also taken off since then, with Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP for example growing from tens of billions to well over 1,000 billion dollars.
Access to education – an essential indicator of development has also dramatically increased as well as free markets taking roots.
It’s been six decades of evolution & transformation, successes & failure, opportunity and challenges.
This week on Talk Africa we will reflect on what independence has meant for Africa, what has changed in the last 60 years and what lies ahead for the continent.
